Ashley Bowen’s Journal Ashley Bowen painted these watercolors of ships he sailed aboard in 1754, 1755, and 1756. He paid attention to the distinctive rigging and flags of each vessel, and he kept notes about the vessels’ owners, masters, mates, passengers, and destinations. The vessels dwarf the buildings of Marblehead, Massachusetts, in the background. Why might the differences among ships be important to Bowen? Photo courtesy of The Marblehead Museum & Historical Society, Marblehead, MA.